Denpasar, Bali - The month-long Bali Arts Festival ended Saturday, but not before further reinforcing the government’s resolve to establish the tourist island as one of the world’s arts and cultural centers.
The annual festival was officially closed by Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika in a ceremony on the Ardha Chandra stage at the island’s sprawling Werdhi Budaya art center.
The governor hailed the 32nd festival a success, citing the attendance of hundreds of tourists and locals, who were excited to see a variety of cultural performances.
“I’m glad to see that people were enthusiastic to come to this event. It shows that they appreciate culture and are aware that it should be preserved,” he said in his closing remarks.
Pastika expected the 33rd Bali Arts Festival in 2011 would be even better, paving the way to market the island as a hub for arts and culture by holding an annual World Cultural Forum.
At the festival’s opening ceremony last month, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his hope to develop Bali as a global cultural center, considering the island’s abundant potential to influence world culture through its cultural exports.
“I hope that we can improve the festival’s performance next year. And I hope we can also hold the World Cultural Forum here in 2011, as expected by Pak President,” the governor said, adding that next year’s festival would coincide with the opening of the national congress of the Parisada Hindu Council and the national event of Utsawa Dharma Gita (Hindu’s sacred texts recitation competition).
As a step toward reaching the goal, next year’s event is to be delivered as an “arts festival with a global vision,” said Ida Bagus Sedhawa, head of the provincial cultural agency.
“We will invite more foreign artists and cultural experts. We want them to learn the world’s cultures through Bali,” Sedhawa said.
To allow for the preservation of local cultures, Governor Pastika said he expected a continuous agenda of cultural shows being performed in the art center all year round.
“I hope we can hold a regular cultural show here, at least once a month,” he said.
Since Bali’s customary villages are important cultural centers, they should be at the forefront of preservation, he added.
Around 15,000 artisans participated in this year’s festival, presenting 180 artistic and cultural performances throughout the festival.
This year’s participants came from 12 provinces across the country, as well as cultural groups from six countries: Japan, the US, India, Sweden, Canada and France.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
